For many Tarnished venturing into the Lands Between, the allure of the Samurai is undeniable. The path of the blade, blending swift strikes with disciplined poise, offers a deeply rewarding combat experience. If you're searching for the ultimate Elden Ring elden ring samurai build that eschews the common Moonveil or bleed-focused paths, this guide is for you. We'll be detailing the "Supreme Samurai," a versatile and powerful Dexterity-based build that excels from the early game all the way through NG+ and beyond, focusing on pure swordplay and tactical adaptability. It’s perfect for players who want to master the katana in its purest form. 🗡️

Core Concept: The Supreme Samurai

This build centers on the Nagakiba, a katana prized for its incredible reach, and the Unsheathe Ash of War. It is a pure physical damage build, which gives it immense flexibility through the use of various Greases to exploit enemy weaknesses. Instead of relying on magic or arcane-fueled bleed, this setup celebrates high mobility, skillful sword fighting, and the ability to adapt to any foe the game throws at you. It’s a build that feels true to the Ronin fantasy, relying on skill rather than gimmicks.

Equipment: The Ronin's Toolkit

Your gear is crucial for both performance and embodying the samurai spirit. Here’s the breakdown of what you'll need.

  • Weapon: The star of the show is the Nagakiba. While the starting Uchigatana is a fine weapon, the Nagakiba's superior length allows you to control spacing and strike from a safer distance without a significant drop in damage. You'll want to apply a Keen affinity to it to maximize its scaling with your primary stat, Dexterity.

  • Ash of War: We stick with the classic Unsheathe. This skill is incredibly versatile, offering a quick, light slash (R1) for reactive attacks and a heavy, overhead chop (R2) that deals massive stance damage, perfect for staggering bosses and creating openings for critical hits.

the-ultimate-elden-ring-samurai-build-guide-2025-image-0

  • Armor: This is where you can let your inner fashion-souls expert shine! A great combination for the Ronin look includes the Iron Kasa (helmet), Nox Swordstress Armor (chest), White Reed Gauntlets, and Ronin's Greaves. This mix not only looks the part but, when combined with the right talismans, can keep you at a Light Equip Load for those swift, long-distance dodge rolls.

  • Talismans: Your choice of talismans will significantly boost your effectiveness. Here is the recommended setup:

    • Shard of Alexander: A must-have for boosting the damage of Unsheathe, your primary source of burst damage.

    • Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman: Because your armor is on the lighter side, this talisman provides a crucial boost to physical damage negation.

    • Great-Jar's Arsenal: This is key to increasing your Equip Load, allowing you to wear your chosen armor set and still achieve a Light roll.

    • Bull-Goat's Talisman: Helps you reach the important 51 poise breakpoint, ensuring you won't be interrupted by weaker enemy attacks while you're charging Unsheathe.

For early-game or alternative options, consider the Assassin's Cerulean Dagger to restore FP on critical hits or Millicent's Prosthesis for a +5 Dexterity boost and bonus damage on successive attacks.

the-ultimate-elden-ring-samurai-build-guide-2025-image-1

Attribute Distribution

Proper stat allocation is the foundation of any strong Elden Ring samurai build. For a character around level 150, aim for a distribution similar to this. Note that your starting class will slightly alter the base stats for Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane, which are not needed for this build.

Stat Target Level Purpose
Vigor 50-60 Essential for survival. 50 is a minimum for NG+, aim for 60.
Mind 20-25 Provides enough FP to use Unsheathe frequently without constant flask use.
Endurance ~38 The Nagakiba is a stamina-heavy weapon. This also helps achieve Light Load.
Strength 12 The minimum required to two-hand the Nagakiba, which is the primary use.
Dexterity 80 Your main damage stat. Damage scaling tapers off after 80.

As a long-term goal, getting Vigor to a comfortable level (around 40) should be your first priority to increase survivability. After that, pump points into Dexterity to see your damage numbers soar.

Gameplay Strategy and Tips

The playstyle of the Supreme Samurai is both aggressive and reactionary. Against large, slow bosses, you can repeatedly use the heavy Unsheathe (L2+R2) to break their stance. Against faster enemies, you can hold the Unsheathe stance and wait for an opening, reacting with the quick light attack (L2+R1).

One of the build's biggest strengths is its ability to adapt using Greases.

  • Facing an enemy weak to lightning? Apply Lightning Grease.

  • Need to proc a bleed faster? Use Blood Grease to trigger Hemorrhage.

  • Fighting a dragon? Dragonwound Grease will give you a significant advantage.

This adaptability makes the build incredibly effective throughout the entire game and into New Game Plus, where you'll have a wealth of crafting materials. For your Flask of Wondrous Physick, the Greenburst Crystal Tear (stamina recovery) and Stonebarb Cracked Tear (increased stance damage) are excellent choices.

Ultimately, this Elden Ring samurai build is for the player who loves the fantasy of being a master swordsman. It offers high damage, fantastic mobility, and a level of tactical depth that will keep you engaged through hundreds of hours in the Lands Between, even as you venture into the Shadow of the Erdtree. Good luck, Tarnished!